THE letter from Dominic Burch, Asda Stores Ltd (LT, October 13) made me laugh, yet also outraged me.

Firstly he managed to touch upon how cheap their bottled water is as well as their alcohol. Then threw in how cheap their filter coffee is too!

Some would say we must pat him on the back for his clever marketing technique, but he is completely missing the point.

The only defence he offered was that people can’t blame them for the decline in coffee shops on the high street, despite their “remarkably low priced filter coffee.”

I find the comparison between a coffee shop and a public house ridiculous. A public house is an entertaining establishment and can be the heart of a community.

Pubs are socially and culturally different from coffee shops. More importantly are the differences in responsibility associated with the products on sale.

The point Mr Burch failed to touch upon is the most important one. We are talking about selling alcohol below the cost of water. It isn’t filter coffee – there has to be a little bit of a different attitude.

Supermarkets selling alcohol at pocket money prices is appalling and sends out the wrong messages to young drinkers who should be steered away from alcohol abuse.

As a personal licence holder and former pub landlord, I had a legal responsibility towards my customers.

Alcohol sold in a public house is done so in a controlled environment where people’s behaviour under the influence is being supervised by the licensees of the premises.

Underage drinking in pubs can also be easily stopped but it is widely known that some adults will go into a superstore and buy alcohol for people underage. This then becomes a problem, as the underage drinkers will drink on the streets/parks in a uncontrolled environment.

The point missed by Mr Burch was the moral responsibility the supermarket must uphold.

This should have been mentioned in his letter, but instead he went in a letter which could have been mistaken for an advertising leaflet from Asda.

MARK FISH, Blackburn.